Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s first full week in office has been highlighted by controversy surrounding one of the 11 executive orders he signed immediately after being sworn in Jan. 15.

Executive Order 2, or EO2 as it is being referred to, essentially states that as of Jan. 24, the emergency order issued by Youngkin’s predecessor Ralph Northam about mask-wearing in public will be rescinded. More specifically, it eliminates language in the emergency order that reads, “All students, teachers, staff, and visitors must wear a mask over their nose and mouth while on school property.”

Youngkin said his order was “reaffirming the rights of parents in the upbringing, education, and care of their children.” He chided the Northam order, saying the requirement was “ineffective and impractical.

“Permitting parents to make decisions on where and when to wear masks permits the Commonwealth’s parents to make the best decision for the circumstances confronting each child,” Youngkin wrote in the order. “Parents can assess the risks and benefits facing their child, consult their medical providers, and make the best decision for their children based on the most up to date health information available. While parents of some students with conditions that increase the risks of COVID-19 infection might require their children to remained masked during the duration of the school day, other parents may require masks for a more limited duration, if at all.”

There are five other actions outlined in the order. Let’s take a look at each of them to see what they mean:

1. The parents of any child enrolled in a elementary or secondary school or a school based early childcare and educational program may elect for their children not to be subject to any mask mandate in effect at the child’s school or educational program. This is an “opt-out” for parents who do not want their children to wear masks during any portion of in-school education, and includes lunch and any class recess periods.
2. No parent electing that a mask mandate should not apply to his or her child shall be required to provide a reason or make any certification concerning their child’s health or education. In a nutshell, the parent is not required to give any reason — medical, religious or otherwise — why they do not want their child masked in school
3. A child whose parent has elected that he or she is not subject to a mask mandate should not be required to wear a mask under any policy implemented by a teacher, school, school district, the Department of Education, or any other state authority. Teachers, administrators and other school staff will not be allowed to tell a student they must wear a mask or they will not be permitted to be on the property.
4. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall rescind the Interim Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Virginia PreK-12 Schools, issued January 14, 2021, and updated October 14, 2021, and issue new guidance for COVID-19 Prevention consistent with this Order. The old saying, “a new broom sweeps clean,” applies here. This guidance was issued by state school superintendent Dr. James Lane, who resigned last month. Youngkin’s appointee is former Wyoming state school superintendent Dr. Jillian Balow, and it is highly unlikely Balow would do anything to cross her new boss.
5. School districts should marshal any resources available to improve inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement and upgrades of equipment to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification, fans, control systems and window and door repair. Building maintenance has been an ongoing issue, especially among the lesser-funded school systems, but the COVID-19 pandemic expedited several improvement projects.

Youngkin’s authority to lift the mask mandates in schools was immediately challenged by several school systems across Virginia, including Richmond, Henrico, northern Virginia and Staunton, all of whom say they will keep the mandates in place beyond Jan. 24. Published reports also state that 13 parents in Chesapeake are suing the governor to block EO2.

Locally, school systems in Petersburg, Hopewell and Prince George have made any public references to the mask mandate. Both said they will look at the nuances of EO2 and will respond accordingly.

“At this point, masks are still required in all Hopewell City Public Schools and we will notify you when there is updated guidance or any changes,” Hopewell schools said in a message on its website.

“We remain committed to doing everything possible to protect the health of our entire school community,” Prince George said on its school website, adding it will provide an update on its decision Jan. 23, the day before the Youngkin order goes into effect.

Related:COVID-19 at-home tests free from government: Order online, no charge for USPS delivery

Related:Petersburg’s COVID cases up 22.7%; Virginia cases surge 27.2%

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is daily news coach for USA TODAY’s Southeast Region-Unified Central, which includes Virginia, West Virginia and central North Carolina. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at [email protected].

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Originally Appeared Here